


The Course of True Love Never Did Run Smooth

by TheSupremeShadowOverlord



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Theatre, Multi, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-23
Updated: 2016-12-23
Packaged: 2018-09-11 09:25:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8974099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSupremeShadowOverlord/pseuds/TheSupremeShadowOverlord
Summary: A theatre AU where underclassman and dance extraordinaire Yuuri Katsuki joins a drama club, attempts to overcome his anxiety, and discovers a passion for preforming onstage from none other than star of the club, Victor Nikiforov.Title from A Midsummer Night's Dream





	

**Author's Note:**

> Few things compare to how intense and single-minded these characters are about ice skating, and one of those things is definitely theatre.
> 
> A gift for my lovely friend Whitney, who suffers with the rest of us through show after show. I can't believe you wanna do this nonsense for a living, you nerd.

The year before they entered high school, Yuuri’s best friend Yuuko convinced him to see their future school’s production of Into the Woods. They had both grown up in the dance studio down the street, and Yuuko was excited to try out for a show as soon as she could.

“Consider it recognizance,” she said shiftily, looking around with suspicious eyes. “We’re scouting out the current competition to see who we’ll need to beat out in auditions next year.”

Yuuri nodded, ducking his head in the hopes that no one from their current school would be there and recognize him. His glasses slid down his nose, so he held them in place while Yuuko bought tickets.

Yuuko snatched two programs stealthily, as if they weren’t set out specifically for the audience. She also insisted on seats in the exact middle of the auditorium, “so that they can’t spot us, but we still get a clear view.”

It wasn’t until he sat down that he was struck by just how grand the stage was. It was much larger than the one they used for recitals, with thick red curtains draped elegantly across the black stage. He looked over at Yuuko to see her reaction, but she had her nosed pressed to the seat in front of her in an attempt to cover half her face as she studiously read the program.

Eventually the lights dimmed, then turned out completely. After a moment of darkness, the curtain pulled open and the show unfolded before them.

Yuuri hadn’t been overly invested in acting, but once the show gripped him and held him in suspense, he couldn’t think of anything he’d rather do than be on the stage. There was a whole world there, one with passion and magic that was created with delicate footwork and strands of music. The characters sang and danced, and he had trouble thinking of them as real high schoolers just like he would soon be. They were like fairies, mystical and unapproachable.

He felt like he was floating, surrounded by the noise and images of the show, when Cinderella’s Prince came on stage in a flurry of pomp and long, translucent hair. Yuuri’s mouth fell open and stayed on the floor all through Cinderella’s song, still struck by his presence.

Tugging on Yuuko’s sleeve, he quietly got her attention. “Who’s Cinderella’s Prince?” he whispered, hoping not to disturb the people around them. After all, she had read the program.

“Victor something or other, he’s only a Freshman if you can believe it,” she replied, seeming very excited on his behalf. Perhaps too excited, as the people in front of them turned pointedly to shush them.

He fell back into the show, perking up every time Victor came on stage. There was something in the way he moved, every arm poised and foot placed. He looked naturally elegant, like this was what he was born to do.

When Agony began, Yuuri felt his eyes grow wide. Victor’s voice was beautiful, flowing through the whole theatre and making the hairs on his arms stand on end. It seemed to capture the entire audience with it’s power, enrapturing them all in a mental dance.

Someday, Yuuri thought to himself, I’ll be able to do that too.

|~V~|

“Where did my left boot go!” Georgi yelled, clutching his foundation in one hand and gesturing wildly with the other. It was hard to hear him over all the noise of people getting ready, and someone had started playing loud rap music. Yuuko was helping JJ with his costume, buttoning up the jacket. Since she was the only person who knew where the costumes were besides Phichit, he gave a heavy sigh as he realized it fell to him to help Georgi and stood up to calm Georgi down and find his missing boot.

Yuuri remained seated, still anxious in any environment this loud and high stress. He had been backstage many times before dance recitals, but it was never as bad as this.

He felt a tap on his shoulder, and looked up to see Christophe smiling down at him. “Hello Yuuri,” he said calmly.

Yuuri gave a tentative smile back. “Hi Christophe, do you need something?” He didn’t know Christophe well, beyond that he was a Sophomore and consistently got good speaking parts. He seemed nice enough, and was very passionate about acting.

“Normally Georgi helps me with my makeup, but he seems to be having problems of his own. Is there any way you could do me a favor?” he asked, the smile still in place as he cocked his head to the side.

“Oh, no problem! That’s my job, after all.” Yuuri was tasked with doing hair and makeup for the show, but because it was Macbeth that mostly meant putting age lines on the witches and splattering white powder on everyone after they died onstage.

Christophe sat down in a chair, and Yuuri pulled out the proper foundation tone and went to work. He really enjoyed helping the actors get ready, it made him feel more like an integral part of the show.

Christophe closed his eyes as Yuuri wiped over them with the sponge. Suddenly, he asked, “Yuuri, did you try out for this show?”

Yuuri laughed nervously, looking over at where Yuuko was pulling on her own costume. “No, I didn’t.” He started to amass copious amounts of blush on Christophe’s cheeks, hoping to expel his awkwardness.

Frowning, Christophe sounded very put out as he kept the conversation going. “Why not?”

Yuuri appreciated the effort Christophe put into being friendly, but he had no way of putting his feelings into words that could be understood. Instead, he made a pained noise and carefully penciled on eyeliner.

“Well, you’re only a Freshman, you have plenty of time to try out for a show if that’s what you want,” he sighed, blinking slowly at Yuuri. “Am I done?”

It took Yuuri a moment to realize that he was talking about his makeup. “Oh, yes. You’re free to go,” he said nervously, stepping back to let Christophe out of his seat. “If you see anyone else without makeup or hair yet, please send them to me.”

“Will do,” Christophe winked before walking out of the dressing room. Yuuri cleaned up his station a bit, trying to figure out where the majority of his bobby pins had run off to when Phichit slid back up over.

“Yuuuuuriiii, I’m going to strangle Georgi with his shoelaces if you don’t stop me,” he wailed dramatically, flinging his arms around Yuuri’s neck.

“Phichit, you can’t do that, he doesn’t have an understudy.” None of them did, actually. They were too small of a club. Everyone seemed to just hope and pray they didn’t get sick, although JJ apparently had an elaborate cleansing ritual he claimed kept him from ever getting sick during show week.

“I’m the stage manager, I know everyone’s lines from yelling them out during rehearsal. I could totally take his place, no one would even notice the difference,” he claimed proudly, as if that settled it. “Besides, you don't understand! His shoes were underneath his bag the whole time. He made me go through everything backstage before he thought to check!”

Yuuri looked over consolingly at his friend, who still seemed to genuinely be considering taking out Georgi. They had come from different middle schools, but they had become fast friends in their first year of high school. Being around Phichit made the day a little easier and the world a little brighter. They had math together, which Phichit often slept through and begged Yuuri for his notes after, and they both adored the drama club. Phichit, who had experience with tech at his old school, was placed as assistant stage manager while Yuuri opted for helping with the hair and makeup while he tried to figure out how the club worked.

Looking around, he could honestly say he still felt very lost. Most of the members seemed to know each other already, from the upperclassmen who weren’t phased by anything, to Sara and her twin Michele’s easy conversations while they did homework during rehearsals, to aloof Seung-gil who liked the lights more than the actors and would only willingly talk to a few other members. He envied Yuuko, who managed to become quick friends with everyone, fitting easily into their lives in a way Yuuri couldn’t quite manage. He couldn’t help feeling left behind, even though he knew it was no one’s fault but his.

“Oh shit! House is open already, I gotta get backstage and make sure Leo closed the curtain,” Phichit exclaimed at his phone, leaping out of his seat and sliding out the door. He called out to the room over his shoulder, “Show starts in thirty minutes guys, make sure you’re in costume, hair, and makeup and then get to places as soon as you can!”

He was met with a chorus of thank you’s as everyone went back to getting ready, the tension in the air almost palpable. Yuuri helped a few people gel their hair and apply eyeliner, and he enjoyed feeling useful. By the twenty minute mark, everyone had cleared out for last minute warm-ups or pre-show checks, and Yuuri slumped back in his chair as his stress left him in a rush.

It was then he felt a tap on his shoulder again, and he turned around only to come face-to-face with none other than the star of the show Victor Nikiforov.

Yuuri flailed in his seat, almost falling off his chair. Victor grabbed him before he fell, a strong hand around his bicep holding him in place. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. Christophe caught me in the hallway and sent me to you to get my makeup done,” he informed Yuuri cheerfully.

“Yes, yes of course, I’m so sorry I freaked out on you! Um…” he started, not sure what to say when faced with the living legend Victor up close. He had learned more about him since starting the club, like how he spent his whole freshmen year getting leading parts and his prowess as a triple threat in acting, singing and dancing. Yuuri hadn’t interacted with him much, mostly because he was always off somewhere going over lines. Some of the other actors seemed to resent him for this, claiming that he thought he was too good for them. To Yuuri, Victor was still a mysterious idol.

Neither of them had moved, Victor’s hand still wrapped around his bicep and their eyes still locked.

“Shouldn’t I sit down?” Victor asked teasingly, startling Yuuri out of his trance.

“Ah! Yes, right here, I just need to grab foundation.” He then proceeded to knock over five bottles, which thankfully had the lids on. It took him longer than it should to find their lightest color, of which they only had one bottle. With shaky hands he finally managed to unscrew the lid and dab some out on a sponge.

When he turned back, triumphant, he baulked at the realization he would have to reach out and touch Victor’s face. It seemed wrong, like if would break the illusion of this larger-than-life actor who was everything Yuuri wanted to be. Victor looked back, smiling widely, oblivious to Yuuri’s internal crisis.

It wasn’t fair to him, Yuuri being unable to work professionally when all Victor needed was a bit of help. He took a deep breath, steeling himself, and set about making Victor look even more perfect.

He worked in silence, carefully coating the foundation. The smell of makeup and hairspray lingered heavily in the room, mostly masking the stench of sweat. Victor had his eyes closed, looking serene as Yuuri brushed back his fringe and swiped the sponge over his eyelids.

After the foundation and blush was finished, Yuuri leaned back to admire his work before grabbing the eye pencil. Victor leaned in close to the mirror, touching his face gently. “Wow! You’re good at this, I normally end up with clumps and my neck is always a different color.”

Yuuri laughed sheepishly, bad at accepting praise but proud of his work. He was excited at the thought that he’d get to tell Yuuko that Victor Nikiforov had complemented his blending, knowing it would make her day. “It’s just from experience. We always put on a lot of stage makeup for dance recitals, so I had to be good if I didn’t want to look like a ghost.” He leaned close with the pencil, Victor acknowledging the cue to close his eyes.

“You’re a dancer? How fantastic! Please tell me you’ll be doing the musical in the spring,” Victor continued, his eyelids perfectly still under Yuuri’s gentle hand.

Yuuri wasn’t sure how to respond, reminded of his awkwardness around Christophe when he had brought up auditioning. Yuuri was a good dancer, and he knew it, but when it came to something like auditioning next to experienced upperclassmen and people with intense skill like Victor Nikiforov, he shut down. There was no way, he’d fall apart and make a complete fool of himself in front of everyone. He’d lose the club, unable to stomach the way they’d look at him, right after he’d started to love it.

“I’m…I don’t know if I’ll be able to,” he told Victor quietly, afraid of admitting his weakness out loud.

Victor opened his eyes as Yuuri put down the pencil. “There’s no harm in trying, is there? Just give it your all, and I’m sure it will work out,” he said confidently, his charming persona shining out of every pore, his bright smile making Yuuri feel like he could rule the world.

Completely caught up in his brilliant eyes, words slipped out of Yuuri’s mouth before he could think. “All right, I’ll try out,” he promised.

|~V~|

The day of auditions, Takeshi left them to head home and Yuuko ran ahead to try and get a hint on the cold reads for the female roles. Yuuri found himself alone, standing before the door to the theatre, and felt an icy hand constrict his chest. His thoughts got caught in a cacophony of I can't do this, I can’t do this I can’t do this I can’t do this and he left before going so far as to touch the door.

|~V~|

During the show, Yuuri grew closer to members of the club. After a memorable occasion where Christophe offered him weed backstage and he got so flustered he started crying, they developed an odd relationship where he educated Yuuri on which musicals were the best and why. Leo was known for his ability to help out students going through life problems, and Yuuri would often call him over when he found his classmates crying in the hallways. He even began to talk to Georgi more, after the dramatic actor figured out Yuuri had a skill for getting hair to stay in place through a whole show, no matter how many rigorous dances a character was in.

So, after the final show while everyone was still running on a post-show high and pulling ridiculous amounts of bobby pins out of their hair, Yuuri found himself coerced into coming to the cast party. At first he wanted to say no, unable to stomach the thought of being a nobody in a mass of talent, but the idea of his first real high school party had an appeal he couldn’t completely ignore. After a very uncomfortable ride squished between Phichit and Leo, who were having a heated argument about how many hashtags were appropriate per post, they arrived at the house of one of the upperclassmen.

It wasn’t long before Yuuri lost everyone he knew between the pounding music and various party games. He was pretty sure that Phichit got sucked into an intense improv game, and there was some sort of Just Dance tournament happening in the basement, but after ten minutes he was feeling very awkward and found himself surrounded by people he barely knew. He’d passed Sara making out with a red-headed girl on a couch, and he thought he saw Georgi crying into his phone in the corner, and overall he quickly realized that he was not the right kind of person for a party.

Eventually he found the table with beer, and hardly hesitated before grabbing one. He’d gotten drunk with his sister once when their parents were out of town and she convinced him it was a good idea, and had spent the entire night throwing up. He wasn’t looking forward to a repeat of that, but in the moment anything was better then feeling embarrassed and uncomfortable.

It only took two beers before everything became fuzzy and dream-like. He walked from room to room, staring at the spiraling lights and patting the people he passed affectionately to let them know he was there. Stumbling into the basement, he was fascinated by all the swirling neon colors of the TV, where an outline of a girl thrust her hips a lot.

He had somehow gotten another beer earlier and had already drunken most of it, so he gulped the rest down and shouldered his way into the competition. Someone handed him the remote, which felt clammy and uncomfortably warm in his hand, and someone else selected a Ke$ha song. It seemed to be met with approval, as most of the students cheered.

Yuuri got into the starting position. He had never played the game, but he assured himself that with over a decade of dancing experience he could totally nail it. He was fairly sure he said this out loud.

The music started, and Yuuri began with it. The strange neon lady with the glowing hands moved around, and Yuuri copied every move perfectly. If Minako could have seen him, she would have been so proud, he was sure of it. The music was pounding in his ears, and the students grouped around him were cheering really loudly. He felt like he was vibrating, and it was absolutely amazing.

When the song ended, his chest fell. How could it be over, he was having so much fun? Even the announcement of the scores, which showed Yuuri had won in a landslide, did nothing to assuage his crushing sadness when someone coaxed the remote from his hand.

He stumbled back, considering walking around until he found Phichit or maybe more beer, when he fell back into the chest of someone who smelled really really nice. He looked up, his hazy vision able to make out the sparkling eyes and dazzling smile of none other than Victor Nikiforov.

“Those moves were quite impressive,” Victor affirmed, looking alight with amusement.

“Victor! I told you I was a dancer,” Yuuri slurred, still leaning heavily against his chest. “I am very good, aren’t I?”

Victor nodded regally in agreement. “Yes, you are.”

Yuuri’s eyes lit up suddenly with an idea. He spun around, leaning closer to Victor and wrapping his arms loosely around Victor’s tall shoulders. “Have a dance competition with me! I bet I can beat you, I won the last one you know.”

Victor laughed. “Yes, I saw.”

Yuuri felt his smile grow wider. Victor had seen him win! This meant that he had proven he wasn't a loser, unlike his freak-out before auditions. “If I win, you have to…have to…” he paused, thinking studiously on what would be a good victory present. “You have to teach me how to act! On a stage! That way I can beat you for a main role,” Yuuri told him, not worried about letting slip his master plan because there was no way he could lose. Victor was good at dancing, but his focus was split by being good at everything else. Yuuri knew he was better.

“Okay!” Victor agreed, looking smitten with the idea. Yuuri beamed back at him, patting his face tenderly to show his affection. The went to commandeer the remotes, and Victor picked out a pop song Yuuri had heard on the radio countless times.

The competition began in ernest, Yuuri focusing on the neon people with all his might as he copied every move. There was a lot of arm swaying and hip grabbing. When it ended he was flushed from the movement and the cloying heat of the room, but all that faded when he saw he had won.

“Victor, I won!” Yuuri tossed the remote aside and threw himself bodily into Victor’s arms. Victor dropped his own remote to catch Yuuri, letting him cling with all four limbs like an affectionate octopus.

Victor managed to hold them upright for a few seconds before falling back with a huff. Thankfully, there was a couch behind him, and other party-goers quickly scooted to avoid getting crushed by them both.

“This means you’ll teach me acting, right?” Yuuri said pleadingly, looking up at Victor’s warm face.

“Of course!” he promised, letting Yuuri crumple against his shoulder with a contented sigh. He nuzzled in close to Victor’s neck, happy to spend the rest of the party warm and sleepy in Victor’s arms.

An hour later he found himself vomiting into the toilet while Victor patted his back affectionately, but strangely enough he was still just as happy.


End file.
